2011-05-19 - Dream Ninjas, Part Deux
It all started with Sam O'Connor losing his fight with insomina, or rather, he wins it? In either case, he falls asleep again. That is when the: Super weapon powered ninjas come out to play! They seize him from his couch this time and drag him up to the roof top where they are going to try - yet again - to toss him off the building. Actually, looks like they are succeeding this time. Except, the ninjas do not realize that there are superheroic teens around to save the day! It's been another long, uneventful night of patrolling for the teenage hero known as Spider-Man. Aside from a few purse-snatchers and car-jackings, he hasn't seen any real action in months, it seems. Out of boredom, he has rigged up his camera with webbing and is practicing taking better pictures -- the Bugle paid a fair sum of cash for the exclusive rights to those shots he got of himself and the Robo guy fighting that... whatever he was. Not that anything near that exciting had happened in recent memory, but at least he could be prepared. He strikes a few body-building poses that look pretty ridiculous on his lean and wiry frame. In mid-pose, however, he gets a strange tingling at the base of his brain and jerks his head around. That was the strongest jolt he's felt from his 'spidey-sense' in a while. He snatches his camera and in one fluid motion (pun intended), he is instantly on his way towards the disturbance, swinging between buildings at an impressive speed. Superboy is high above, looking up at the stars. His black leather jacket is unzipped and his typical red sunglasses cover his eyes. He yawns, appearently bored in his own way. He enjoys the coolness across his face as he floats on his back. He is in no rush, high above Chinatown without a concern in the world. However, something will be drawing his attention very soon. Because poor Sam O'Connor is suddenly tumbling off the roof top, screaming in a very high pitched, girly voice! Just in the nick of time, Spidey comes into view of some poor guy being thrown from a rooftop. He wastes no time in shooting a stream of web fluid towards Sam. Simultaneously, he gracefully lands on the iron landing of a fire escape and plants his feet. The webbing hits Sam's leg and sticks to him like glue. With a couple of well-practiced flicks of the wrist from Spidey, the web is looped several times around Sam's ankle, and the poor bastard finds himself hanging upside down several feet from the ground, but thankfully unharmed. Sam whimpers and cries for help, and tries not to think about the fact he wet himself! The ninjas are looking at each other confused, then look down at Sam. One of them pulls their sword out and looks for a way to cut Sam down. Another two are looking for whoever saved Sam. That is when Superboy spins around and uses his enhanced sight to see what is going on! He soon starts speed flying down there, leaving a boom in the air behind him as he jets down there. Here is a flash of red and black before he pauses above the roof top, "Looks like you freaks didn't learn after the last time I doubt with you," arms crossed over his chest. Spidey gazes down at the dangling man and yells, "That's a heck of a way to scratch 'bungee jumping' off your bucket list!" He looks around for a moment, trying to figure out what to do with his catch, then shrugs and ties him off to the railing of the fire escape. Time to deal with those strange-looking dudes who thr... um, was that man flying? Before he can wrap his brain around that question, he is already scaling the sheer surface of the wall on his way back up to the roof. Maybe tonight will be eventful after all? The ninjas look up and then they suddenly start charging and leaping at Superboy to try and dog pile him! "Hey! Watch it!" The swords ping off Superboy but without the sound effects, and he grunts. "What are your swords made out of?!" He starts knocking ninjas aside, trying to get free even as they manage to get him down to the roof by distracting him. "Stupid ninjas! I'm not watching ninja movies anymore!" Sam whimpers and manages to call up after Spider-Man, "You...you can't defeat them!" Spidey reaches the top of the building just as Sam's voice reaches him. He glances down and yells, "We'll see about that!" then peeks his head over the ledge. Um, ninjas? Dogpiling a guy that he's pretty sure was just flying? Alrighty then. He flips up onto the roof's ledge and starts shooting blasts of web fluid in an attempt to demobilize the ninjas that the flying guy is throwing off of himself. Ninjas trip, and then go cutting at the thread with insanely sharp swords! Superboy suddenly muscles the remaining ninjas off him. "Man, talk about a lack of respect here!" He then grins widely, "Oh, hey," looking toward Spider-Man. Suddenly a sword chops down at his head and halts. "Ouch...," Superboy then throws a punch and hits the ninja in their masked face. "Like I said, no respect. Hey, hostage is safe!" He pulls off his sunglasses and shoots a red laser beam at a sword and sends it flying right into..., "Oh...crap...," into another ninja. Other ninja looks down at said sword and then pulls it out, the wound disappearing. He then charges at Spider-Man with two weapons. Beneath his mask, Spider-Man's eyes grow wide. Eye lasers? Invulnerable ninjas? This keeps getting weirder. As he dodges sword-strikes, he manages a feeble, "Um, hi," in response to Superboy's greeting. "How do we beat these guys?" he asks after sending another ninja flying with a sloppy dropkick of sorts. Then, before Superboy can respond, he makes his way over to the edge and repeats the question, calling down to the dangling man. "How do we beat these guys?" Immediately after asking this, a strong burst from his spidey-sense warns him of the charging duel-wielding ninja. He looks back up to confirm, then sprawls backwards, dodging the ninja's charging strike in just enough time. He kicks his feet up and plants them into the ninja's chest, then uses the attacker's own momentum to carry him over his head and off of the roof. "I don't know! When I grabbed the guy before, the ninjas just disappeared, you know?" Superboy is dodging the swords this time, only getting nicked at times, but there is no blood drawn. "Whao! Watch where you stick that man!" He's yelling at a ninja and goes for the X-Ray vision to see what is giong on. "Hey, these guys don't have any innards!" Sam from below is still shaking. "I...you...can't...win....nightmares, living nightmares! I tried to stay awake...I tired...," he starts to cry. Spidey ducks another charging ninja, who he then hits with with a jab and sidekick combo before turning his head towards the ledge again. "Nightmares?" He turns back around, right into a stiff kick from another ninja. He stumbles backwards but regains enough of his senses to dodge a second strike and then send the guy hurtling into one of his dream-buddies. He quickly makes his way over to the ledge, drops down to the landing he was previously on, and grabs the line holding Sam. He hoists the pee-soaked dreamer up to the landing and hoists him over his shoulder before realizing he is soaked with his own urine. "Aw, man, give me a break..." Trying to ignore the revolting wetness and pungent smell, he shoots a new line towards the roof and uses it to haul himself and Sam back up. "Come on, Pee Boy... If they really came out of your twisted little brain, you have to know how we can stop them." Suddenly, as Spidey comes up to the roof top with poor Pee Boy, he will find that the ninjas are just...gone! Superboy stands there, looking very confused as he glances around. "They just...poof! X-Ray vision comes up with nothing, nor does my enhanced vision and I'm looking for miles around! Nothing!" He then sits cross-legged in the middle of the air, floating as he becomes thoughtful. "This is just weird." Cop sirens are heard in the near distance now. Pee Boy hiccups, "They...are gone? Thank gawd! Thank gawd!" Upon reaching the suddenly ninja-less roof, Spider-Man glances around, puzzled by the sudden ninja-less-ness. Then he is taken off-guard by something else. "X-ray vision? Okay, what in the name of Charlie Sheen..." He shakes his head. There are more important things at hand. He drops Sam on the ground. "Alright, so we just could have been killed by a bunch of invincible, dream-ninjas that YOU conjured. Start talking, Wee Willy Winky, emphasis on the WEE." "Isn't that the lame 'win' guy?" Superboy shrugs, "Hey, they guy's nice and...really wet right now, be kind," he advises. Sam hiccups again, "I...didn't mean to...I fall asleep and they are...THERE! They come alive! And they...they..try to killllll me! Scared...so scared..." Superboy hrms, "So, you create them from your mind?" Sam nods, "Yes....I...think Superboy." Another hiccup. "I don't...know why they...try to killll me. Just...I don't want to fall...asleep." An audible 'ah' escapes Spider-Man as at least a couple of things fall into place. Superboy. Right. He's read about that guy. He turns back to Sam. "Is this new? Have you watched A Nightmare on Elm Street recently? Or have you always brought terrible things from your nightmares into the real world?" He pauses for a moment. "And why couldn't you just be dreaming of bunnies, or ice cream, or Emma Stone or something?" "Sor...sorry...only...turned violent...recently. Usually, half real...but...more powerful now...don't know...why...," and Sam tears up again. "Hey, hey, don't cry! Look, I may not know exactly how to help you, but maybe...my big sister, Matrix will know. She's part of the Sentinals Project, and I'm sure she has contacts with umm...scientists. This is majorly creepy, I'm sorry. But maybe they can do a sleep study on you, have backup in case things get out of control...get your powers under control. I'm sure you can use them to help people too, if you could, well, control them. The Sentinels Project isn't bad, and I know the government is always looking for co-op agents. Ninjas fit well in co-ops, right?" Sam looks at Superboy as if he just grew two heads. "I'm trying here!" Superboy declares! "Wait, the ninjas disappeared when I grabbed Spongedork Wetpants here. If it's physical contact with another that breaks the... spell, or trance, or whatever it is... then you just need to find a girlfriend." He glances down at Sam's pants. "Or, uh, a really good friend who wouldn't mind rooming with you just in case you summon a troupe of ninjas again. Troupe? Clan? Flock?" He shrugs, then turns to Superboy. "You said this was your second encounter with this guy and his mind-ninjas. Was it physical contact that made them vanish the first time?" A pause then, "Hey! When I saved him from kidnapping before, I grabbed him from a ninja and they did disappear!" Sam blinks, "A girlfriend? You are asking the impossible!" But at least Sam doesn't have to shy from relationships now cause of the crazy ninjas, right? He feels a little happier right now. He is standing up now, and eyes the oncoming sirens. "You...boys should go now, I can handle the cops." He nods at that. "And...thanks," he adds. "Again." He smiles weakly toward Superboy and does the same to Spider-Man. "Thanks for...not letting me go..umm...squish." He then heads for the stairs with uneven steps. Alright...sleeping partner...great, just great. But at least it's something. "Wow, you are really smart! Who are you?" Superboy is asking Spider-Man this. Spider-Man tilts his head, watching Sam go. "We're just going to let him go, to unleash his mind-ninjas on someone else? Or something worse, like, uh, mind raptors." He glances in the direction of the sirens. "And how in the world does the NYPD know any of this even happened?" He shakes his head, obviously deciding to not care. He turns his attention back to Superboy and his question. "Me? I'm just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. I gather you're Superboy. You've got some impressive abilities." Superboy points across the street, "People were watching us through their curtains and blinds, across the street," he advises. "And I'm going to call Matrix to have her check in on him. I won't leave it hanging," he advises you. He then hrms, "Spider-Man...how old are you?" He starts to float away, "Come alone, couple blocks that way," and he points. "Cops won't bother us there." "Old enough," comes the reply as Spidey takes off from the rooftop, as well. He uses his typical means of transportation -- swinging on web-lines that he anchors to buildings -- to follow the flying teen. He manages to keep up, for the most part, though not close enough to maintain conversation. Moments later the two are touching down on the roof of another building. "So you have links to the Sentinels... Did they give you your powers?" "Oh, no! That was Project Cadmus. It's...complicated," Superboy manages. He settles on the roof easily. "I was just wondering how old you were, cause well...I have a team, Young Justice. But you got to be a teen, you know?" He shrugs. "We could use some smart people. I can do math fine, and even handle tactics. But I'm umm...not always the best problem solver," after all, you were the one to solve the mystery of the nightmare ninjas! "I rather just punch things out." Spider-Man nods. "Sometimes punching is the better solution. But, not to brag, I am pretty smart. I made this costume and all of my gadgets myself, even down to the web fluid. Chemistry is my passion... It's like I just get it somehow, you know?" It's weird, being this candid about himself, but it seems alright with Superboy. And it's not like he's giving up his real identity. "I'm sixteen, so I fit your requirements, but I'm not sure I'd work that great in a team. Then again, it might be nice to have some support... or just other people like me to talk to for a change. It gets kind of lonely sometimes." Could he possibly be on the cusp of having friends? That's uncharted territory for Spidey, masked or unmasked. Superboy grins, "I'll stick with bomb disabling." Not that he would do it the delicate way, it's not as fun that way. "But sounds like you have lots to offer! Got a way I can contact you? An e-mail or something? I'll set up a meeting so you can meet Arrowette and Impulse, or least get their O.K. first, but I don't see any problems," he explains sincerely. "We really want to gather up fellow teens to make a difference. Why let the adults have all the fun anyway?" "I, uh, yeah... E-mail works." It's a rare occasion when Spider-Man is at a loss for words. He recites an e-mail address from one of those free e-mail web sites -- an address that he has yet to sign up for, since he's never had the need for one as Spider-Man. He'll have to sign up for it as soon as this meeting is over, and hopefully it isn't taken. But who else would sign up for HomoAraneae4U@waynemail.com, anyway? Still stunned by the prospect of meeting and socializing with other super-powered teenagers like him -- and wait is Arrowette a girl's name? -- he starts to formulate an awkward goodbye before a brilliant idea enters his brain. "Hey, um, would you mind taking a quick picture with me?" Category:Logs